We just had our dinner there this early evening. The food is just so so.. no wonder only 20% of the tables near windows were filled with guests even it is weekend.

The service is ok, but NEVER trust any recommendation..

Since it was our first time dining here, I and my gf were browsing the menu for quite a few seconds. While the antie heartily recommended a dish, some seafood with vege. I asked what it is, the antie said it is NOT IN MENU. Then we trusted, and said ok, we can order it...

after everything done, we were shocked when got the bill, other dishes like fish, squid just around $18-25 per dish. but the recommended one ... $68..

I asked the waitress, is it$68? She just replied coldly, 'yes'. no other words. I had no more question, paid, and left.

Well. no matter what the value of that is. You recommend sth, you should be a bit more honest. When guest asked abt detail,you just said it is NOT ON MENU. But when the bill came out, the price is triple of most of the other common dishes. No explaination given. I have to say, it is not a long-lasting promotion strategy.. since it's a bit DECEIVING.

Not mention that it was really a simple dish in ordinary size - mushroom plus vege and a little bit escallops. If you make it $30-$40, it's ok, but $68, and 'NOT on menu' is really kinda deceiving!

Had ala carte dim sum with wifey this afternoon. Haven't really heard much about this place before so we decided to give Mandarin Court a go. The restaurant is situated on the 35th floor of the hotel with views of the city from both ends. Views at Orchard can't really compare with Marina though. We immediately felt very comfortable. The tables were neatly arranged, it was bright but still had a good ambience. It was about 80% full yet wasn't noisy. Majority of the wait staff are aunties, who look very experience. Somehow it feels fresh feeling local again.. lol. There some really good and creative dimsum while some are just misses. My opinions:

Tie guan yin- Really frangrant and light. enjoyed the tea alot.

Mini cod fish dumping- it was so creative of them. they had minces of cod on a shrimp dumpling. the taste just blended in perfectly.

Chicken claw- It was soft and well done. I think they used abalone sauce, just different from other places.

Prawn/scallop dumpling- Scallop was not exactly very big like a previous reveiwer mentioned. both dishes were ok

Century egg porridge- It cost $8 but comes with a big bowl. Good for 2. It was delicious, you just have to try and tell the difference i can't explain

Carrot cake- Pretty good, wasn't too charred like some places would do it. Goes well with the chill sauce. Gosh the chilli sauce is fantastic! little spicy though

Xiao long bao- big miss of the day. it says superior stock but no "soup" inside. wife is shanghainese so we have high expectations on this. skin is thick, meat is tough. this dish is a fail to me.

Chee cheong fun- normal

I have tried all the Chinese restaurants in between Somerset and Orchard MRT over the last few years. This is a new find after they changed their name from Pine Court to Mandarin Court, and I suspect a change in chef from 2 years ago.

I went there for Saturday lunch. They could not find my reservation but they were gracious and led me to the table within two minutes. The majority of the waitress are long-serving staff and they are definitely up-to-par and better than the untrained FT freshies.

The dim sum are delicious and I had ordered a traditional dish.. steam minced meat with salted fish. The chef did not disappoint. The meat is really hand chopped and manually minced.. I waited 30min for the dish. The wait is worth it. I can finish 2 bowls of rice with the steam meat patty with salted fish. This is a good finale for a Saturday lunch.

There are misses too. The porridge is pre-portion into bowls and microwave before serving. It is unacceptable for a hotel restaurant and I will NOT order it again. The fried ee-fu noodle with seafood cannot meet my high standard.

I do not have the mandarin gourmet card, but I will make do with a 15% discount on ala carte with Amex card. Good dim sum + Good service + View from the 37floor of Orchard road surrounding -- It will definitely be my weekend lunch haunt when I go down to Orchard Road.